Traffic-signaling mechanism



L. C. McADAMS. TRAFFIC SIGNALING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 26, 1920- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEWIS C. MCADAMS, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR 01? ONE-HALF TOJ. M.

BENEDICT, OF GLENDALE. CALIFORNIA.

TRAFFIC-SIGNALIN G MECHANISM.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 25, 1921.

Application filed January 26, 1.920. Serial No. 354,293.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LEWIS C. MoADAMs, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State ofCalifornia, has invented new and useful Improvements in Tratfic-Signaling Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to and has for a main object the provision ofanimproved type of trafiic signaling means capable of being operated atstreet intersections for the purpose of directing trafiic across theintersections, a further object being to provide in such a system, aplurality of signal units mounted at the corners of the intersection andadapt ed to be simultaneously operated from a selected one of saidunits.

Another object is to provide means for interconnecting said signal unitswhereby the diagonally opposite units of each set may be simultaneouslyoperated by a single operating member for directing the traffic in agiven direction and the other set similarly operated by another similarand separate member, and whereby both of said operating members may, ifdesired, be operated together for moving all of the signals, Otherobjects may appear as the description of my invent-ion progresses.

I have illustrated the structure and operation of my improvements in theaccompanying drawing, forming a part of this application, one practicalembodiment of my invention being shown, and all of the means shown beingsubject to modification and alteration within the scope of the appendedclaims, without enlarging the scope or departing from the spirit of myinvention.

In said drawings and throughout the specification similar characters ofreference are employed for indicating the same and like parts, and theseveral views of the drawings are described as follows:

Figure 1 is a plat of a street intersection showing four of my signalunits mounted at the corners;

F ig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary plan of the said units showing thesignals set for the movement of traflic thereby.

Fig. 3 is a similar plan of the mechanism for said units.

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of two of said signaling units showingthe operating connections therebetween.

actuating Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional plan of one of the undergroundhousings of the operated units, on line 55 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a similar plan of the housing of the operating unit, on line6-6, of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a sectional plan of the operating unit above the level of theoperating means.

It will be understood that I have shown an underground system in saiddrawings but it is obvious that an aerial or overhead system ofconnections may be employed with equal success.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, I have shown four signalunits A, B, C and I) mounted at the four corners of a rectangular streetintersection, said units being preferably situated at the sidewalk edgesand about in line with the building fronts. The unit A, as shown andconnected is used as an operating unit while the other units areoperated from the unit A.

Each of the units A, B, C and D has a hollow standard 1 substantiallyextended above the level of and also below the sidewalkQ and providedwith a flanged member 3 and a plug 4 at a suitable elevation above thesidewalk. At the sidewalk level a base member?) is provided which isattached to and forms a top closure for an underground housing 6 in theevent of the employment of an underground system, as shown; otherwisethe member 5 may be extended below the sidewalk only for a depthsuflicient to render the standards 1 firm and rigid in character.

Each of said units also has a vertical shaft 7 rotatably held at theirlower ends in base members 8 at the bottoms of said housings and saidshafts are substantially extended above the upper ends of standards 1and carry signal vanes 9 of suitable character and bearing a suitablelegend thereon for directing the trailic. Shaft 7 of unit A carries apulley 10 to which one end of a cable, or wire, 11 may be attached andthe other end of said cable is adapted to be attached to a pulley 12 ofunit 0 which is carried on shaft 7 of said latter unit. Housings 6, 6 ofunits A and C may be connected and cable 11 inclosed by means of asuitable pipe 13, as shown.

Shafts 7, 7 of units B and D also have pulleys 12, 12' thereon which areconnected by means of cables 15 and 16, respectively, with a pulley 14carried on the lower end of a hollow shaft 21, mounted over shaft 7 ofunit A, and shaft 21 has a collar 22 adjacent to the lower side of basemember 5 for preventing the upward thrust of said shaft. The units B, Cand D, in which the cables 11, 15 and 16 terminate are Provided withcoil springs 4.4 around the shafts 7 7, 7, a tubular sleeve 41 beinginterposed between the pulleys 12, 12, 12 and the base members 5, 5, 5,for carrying said springs, and one of the ends of each of said springsis attached to hooks 45 on the sides of the V housings 6, 6, 6, whilethe other ends thereof are suitably attached to the upper sides of thepulleys 12, 12, 12, so that when operated the pulleys and cables willmove against the tension of said springsand when again released, saidsprings may be utilized for restoring the signals to normal positions.Said springs, however, may or may not be used, depending upon theconvenience and necessity of each occasion, and the requirements ofmunicipalities using my system.

At the upper end of the standard 1, of unit A, I provide two separateoperating members 25 and 33 for units A and C and B and D, respectively,member 33 having an upwardly extended outer end 34; and being attachedat its hub portion to the shaft '7 by means of a set screw or otherwise,

and member 25 having a similarly extended end 26 and being attached atits hub portion to portion 23 of shaft 21 by means of a set screw 26, orotherwise.

Member 25 has lugs 28, 28 on the lower side thereof for slidablyreceiving a sliding bolt 27, said bolt having a latch member 29 on theinner end thereof adapted to engage and seat in one or the other ofnotches 29, 29 in the flange 2a of member 3, and an operating lever 30at the opposite end capable of manual operation for releasing saidlatch. A spring 31 is held between lug 28 and a collar 32 on bolt 27 andis adapted to be compressed when said latch is operated for restoringsaid latch.

Member 33 carries a latch 36 pivoted to the outer end thereof, saidlatch having an operating portion 37 at one end and a depending latchportion 38 adapted to seat in apertures 39 and 4:0 in members 33 and 25,respectively, for locking said members together for simultaneousoperation.

Now, it will be clearly understood that when the operating member 25 ismoved one quarter of a revolution independently of member 33, thesignals 9, 9 of units B- and D will be moved simultaneously and to alike extent for displaying like signals and opening or closing thetrafiic in one direction. Likewise when member 33 is moved independentlyof member 25 the units A and C will be operated and similar signalsdisplayed thereon for opening the trafiio in an opposite direction.Also, if it is desirable all of said units may be operated together bylocking the members 25 and 33 together by means of member 36, as described, and suitable signals may be provided on said units for movingthe traffic.

My system may be used as an overhead system by the provision of pulleyson the upper ends of shafts 7 and 21 rather than their lower ends, asshown, and in fact such a system maybe of greater advantage insome'places and at certain points than an underground system. Certainlyit would be more economical as to initial and maintenance costs. 3

What I claim is: v

l. A traffic signaling system, comprising standards at the corner of theintersection, vertically disposed shafts in said standards, signal vaneson the upper ends of said shafts, pulleys on the lower ends of saidshafts,

a hollow shaft in one of. said standards, surrounding the signal shafttherein, a pulley on the lower end of said shaft, cables connecting saidshafts together for operation, and means connected with said hollowshaft and with the signal shaft therein, on one of said standards foroperating all of said signals together at will.

2. A traflic signaling system comprising a master signal at one cornerand cooperating signals at the other corners of an intersection, saidsignals, including a standard having a signal shaft therein, a pulley oneach of said shafts, operating pulleys on said shafts, cables connectingthe pulley on the shaft of the master signal with said other pulleys,and duplex operating means on said master signal whereby said signalsmay be operated in pairs and all together, at will.

LUTHER L. MACK, J. M. BENEDICT.

